Collapsible fence arrangement



Dec. 29, 1959 co 2,919,112

COLLAPSIBLE FENCE ARRANGEMENT Filed April 8, 1958 gnu IN VENTOR Thomas R. Sofie/0 BY 4mm %Z ATTORNEY United States Patent COLLAPSIBLE FENCE ARRANGEMENT Thomas R. Cofield, Baltimore, Md., assignor to-'I he Aluminum Fences, Inc., Baltimore, Md-., a corporation of Maryland Application April 8, 1958', SerialNo. 727,111

' 3 Claims. (Cl. 256-22) This invention refers to fences, and more particularly it pertains to construction methods for sheet metal fences and to a collapsible fence arrangement.

A primary object of this invention is to provide an economical and flexible fence assembly for easy erection on terrain having various degrees of slope.

Another object of this invention isto provide a fence structure which can be folded for economy of storage and transportation space.

To provide a fence structure which is non-rattling in the wind, is still another object of this invention.

To provide a collapsible fence arrangement which is economical to manufacture, easy to install, and which is eflicient and reliable in operational use, are still other objects of this invention.

These and other objects and advantages will become more readily apparent and understood from the accompanying specification and single sheet of drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is an end view of a detail of a fence structural material used in this invention;

Fig. 2 is a top view of a portion of a fence structure before assembly;

Fig. 3 is a top view of a portion of a fence assembled according to principles of this invention;

Fig. 4 is a detail top view of a junction which may be used between fence sections;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a fence embodying principles of this invention; and

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a portion of the improved fence illustrating the folding thereof.

The material for the fence comprising this invention is shaped in cross-section to the general conformation shown in Fig. 1. Both pickets P and stringers S are made of this structural shape in resilient plastic or metal. Each stringer S or picket P, as shown best in Fig. 1, is of substantially hat shape cross section with a base 7, and having outwardly and angularly arranged webs 8 extending therefrom on each side of the base, and a flange 9 extending outwardly and angularly from each web 8.

In Fig. 2, there is illustrated a cross-over portion of a fense with picket P and stringer S in light contact with each other. It can be seen that there is formed a generally hollow space encompassed by the two structures. In this space having a linear dimension shown by doubleheaded arrow A-B, a tubular spacer 12 is placed, as shown in Fig. 3.

Spacer 12 is secured to the picket P and stringer S by a rivet 10 or a similar fastener through holes pierced in the stringers and the picket P. When the rivet or fastener 10 is set tightly, the structural shape of stringer S and picket P is deformed because spacer 12 is made somewhat shorter than dimension A-B. A secure, nonrattling pivotal joint is thus made having tight contact at places 14.

In practice, as illustrated in Fig. 5, fence sections are above for each cross-over, as explained in connection.

with Figs. 1 to 3.

A rhomb results which-is readily adaptable to sloping. terrain and to line posts LP set vertically into theground,

as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

Line posts LP may be prepared from rectangular tubing with slots for the ends of stringers S as disclosedin,

my copending patent application Serial Number. 727,112,. filed April 8, 1958, for Fence Post With Expansion,

Joint.

This application also teaches the forming of adjacent,

fence sections here illustrated. in Figs. 4 and.-5. Rivets. 16, used for this purpose, not being on pivotal locations, are inserted and set in thestringers S and pickets P. after the fence is in place. They serve the. dual functionv of securing the ends of the stringers S to the post LP,.s,traddling picket P and of locking the rhombic structure of the fence.

Fence sections may be pre-fabricated according to the principles of the present invention in a shop. The. rhombic geometry permits the completed fence section to be folded as shown in Fig. 6 where adjacent pickets 32, 34, 36 and 38 are brought into lateral contact. Thus, for storage and transportation, a minimum of space is oc cupied by the fence section.

Obviously many other modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. A fence structure, comprising, a pair of parallel spaced resilient stringers, a plurality of parallel spaced resilient pickets arranged at an angle to said stringers, each said picket being arranged so that its ends extend past said pair of stringers, each said stringer and picket having a hat shape cross-section with a base, a web extending at an angle from opposite sides of said base, and a flange extending outwardly at an angle from its corresponding web, said flanges of each said picket being mounted to engage with the flanges of said pair of stringers, an arrangement located Where each picket crosses a stringer for pivotally connecting the picket and stringer together at the cross-over thereof, each said arrangement including a spacer positioned between the inner surface of the base of each picket and the inner surface of the base of its corresponding stringer, and pivot means including a pen extending through said spacer and through its corresponding picket and stringer to hold the flanges of the picket and the flanges of its corresponding stringer in tight engagement to form a secure pivotal joint at each cross-over of each picket and stringer, and means including rivets for rigidly securing at least two spaced pickets to the stringers at the cross-over of the pickets and stringers.

2. A fence structure, comprising, a pair of parallel spaced resilient stringers, a plurality of parallel spaced resilient pickets arranged at an angle to said stringers, each said picket being arranged so that its ends extend past said pair of stringers, each said stringer and picket having a hat shape cross-section with a base, a web extending at an angle from opposite sides of said base, and a flange extending outwardly at an angle from its corresponding web, said flanges of each said picket being mounted to engage with the flanges of said pair of stringers, an arrangement located where each picket crosses a stringer for pivotally connecting the picket and stringer together at the cross-over thereof, each said arrangement including a spacer positioned between the inner surface its corresponding picket and stringer to hold the flanges of thepicket and the flanges of its corresponding stringers in tight engagement to form a secure pivotal joint at each cross-over of each picket and its corresponding stringer, and means including rivets for rigidly securing at least two spaced pickets to the stringers at the crossover of the pickets and stringers, with each pair of such arrangements for each picket being arranged so that the distance therebetween for all pairs of arrangements is constant, wherebyarhombic fence structure is obtained when said parallel stringers are positioned at an angle to the horizontal.

3. In a fence structure, comprising, a pair of parallel spaced resilient stringers, a plurality of parallel spaced resilient pickets arranged at an angle to said stringers, each said picket being arranged so that its ends extend past said pair of stringers, each said stringer and picket having a hat shape cross-section with a base, a web extending at an angle from opposite sides of said base, and a flange extending outwardly at an angle from its corresponding web, said flanges of each said picket being mounted to engage with the flanges of said pair of stringers; with an arrangement located where each picket crosses a stringer for pivotally connecting the picket and stringer together at the cross-over thereof, each said arrangement including a spacer positioned between the inner surface of the base of each picket and the inner surface of the base of its corresponding stringer, and pivot means including a pin extending through said spacer and through its corresponding picket and stringer to hold the flanges of the picket and the flanges of its corresponding stringer in engagement to form a secure pivotal joint at each cross-over of each picket and its corresponding stringer, and means including rivets for rigidly securing at least two spaced pickets to the stringers at the cross-over of the pickets and stringers, with each pair of such arrangements for each picket being arranged so that the distance therebetween is constant for all pairs of arrangements so that a rhombic fence structure can be obtained when said parallel stringers are positioned at an angle to the .horizontal.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 362,008 Hodges Apr. 26, 1887 2,295,271 Schuck Sept. 8, 1942 2,687,283 Enghauser Aug. 24, 1954 2,773,674 Fischer et al. Dec. 11, 1956 2,776,116 Brickman Jan. 1, 1957 

